Continuous path gripper shuttle loom



. Sept. 7., 1954 v v. WERNER ETAL 2,688,345

CONTINUOUS PATH GRIPPER SHUTTLE LOOM Filed Nov. 1"?, 195ov 2 sheds-sheet 1 Sept. 7, 1954 v, WERNER ErAl. l2,688,345

' CONTINUOUS PATH GRIPPER SHUTTLE LOOM Filed Nov. 17, 1950 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 AGT Patented Sept. 7, 1954 CONTINUOUS PATH GRIPPER SHUTTLE LOOM Vilm Werner, Plzen,

and Karel Kubelka, Blansko U Brno, Czechoslovakia, assignors of one-third to Prototypa, narodni podnik, Brno, Czechoslovakia, a. corporation of Czechoslovakia Application November 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,102

Claims priority, application Czechoslovakia November Z1, 1949 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a weaving mechanism, and more particularly to a weaving mechanism for shuttleless weaving looms, whereby the Weaving mechanism includes a weft thread gripper and a flexible tape moving continuously around in an endless path and carrying the weft thread gripper along.

The objects of our invention center about a weaving mechanism which doesaway with a shuttle traveling in a reciprocating movement through the shed of the warp, and which uses a stationary weft bobbin provided outside of the weaving mechanism, the weft thread gripper moving through the shed in one direction only and thereby carrying the thread through the shed.

The above and other objects are achieved by providing that the traveling weft thread gripper, when arriving at the entry side of the shed, seizes the end portion of the thread coming from the outside bobbin, and carries the same through the shed, by further providing that the weft thread gripper upon its travel through the shed surrenders the said end portion, and by finally providing that the thread thus pulled through the shed, upon being beaten up to the web, is cut at the entry side of the shed. The weft thread gripper will be referred to hereinafter as the gripper.

The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a weaving loom equipped with a weaving mechanism according to our invention;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the movement of the gripper;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a form of iiexible tape and a form of gripper, both forming parts of the weaving mechanism of the invention, the exible tape being shown in detached condition;

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of two parts of our weaving mechanism, drawn to enlarged scale, illustrating the operative relation of these parts one to the other;

Fig. 6 is a plan View thereof;

Fig. '7 is a side elevational fragmentary view of the gripper and of another part of the weaving mechanism, the parts shown in operative relation;

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the gripper.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to Fig. 1 thereof, a weaving loom is there illustrated and generally identified by the reference numeral I0. The loom includes a supporting frame designated I I and a motor I2 which drives the main shaft I3, and two toothed wheels I4, the driving mechanism for the latter including six pairs of bevel wheels, designated I5, I6, I'I and I8, and shafts I9, 20 and 2l. The toothed Wheels I4 drive a flexible tape 22 which may be of sheet steel and is spacedly provided with apertures 23 (see Fig. 4) to be engaged by the teeth of the wheels I4.

In operation, the tape 22 is carried by the constantly rotating wheels I4 in an endless path in the directions of the arrows A and B shown in Fig. 2, and is held and guided by a C-shaped rail 24. The length of the tape is limited so that the ends thereof do not meet when the tape is trained to move around the wheels I4.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the tape 22 is shown in straight (detached) condition. The front end 25 of the tape is tongue-shaped, the rear end 26 being tapered.

Secured to the tape 22 to be carried along by same is the gripper generally designated 21 (see, for instance, Figs. 3 and 4), and being substantially of double wedge shape. The main body 28 of the gripper (see Figs. 5 and 6) forms at one end a wedge 29 having a fore edge 30, and ter-- minates at the other end into two spaced arms 3l designed to be resilient and to tend to meet at their free ends. At its free end, each of the arms 3l is provided with an upwardly extending projection 33, these two projections, due to the referred to tendency of the arms 3I, being ordinarily urged into abutting relation, thus forming gripping jaws. The wedge 29, the main body 28, and the arms 3| of the gripper are defined by side walls 34 which, when viewed in plan, approach one another toward each end, these walls forming sliding surfaces as will be explained hereinafter.

The gripper is of elongated shape and extends parallel to the axis of the tape 22. It is secured to the tape, for instance, by a bolt 36 and nut 31, the nut being seated in a depression in a member 38 which is arranged on the opposite face of the tape. The bolt passes through an aperture 23. It is to be understood that the gripper may be fastened to the tape inany other suitable fashion as well.

The tape 22 moves through the shed formed by the warp 39 (see Fig. 2). At the entry side of the warp, and in the path of the gripper traveling with the tape, we provide a stationary abutment 40, and at the exit side of the warp, likewise in the path of the traveling gripper, there is a stationary thread-receiving clamp `lll. In Fig. ,2, the gripperz is shown moving along its lower path in the direction of the arrow B. The limitation of the length of the tape 22 is determined by the necessity of bringing the tape out of contact with the slay 42 after a new weft thread has been introduced into the shed and the slay is ready to beat this thread up to the web.

Reverting to Fig. 1, the slay or reed isset in a frame 43 which oscillates about the shaft 23 and is driven from the main shaft I3 (the operating mechanism being not shown).

The abutment 40 is of double wedge shape (see Figs. and 6) and holds the free endV portion of a weft thread 44 ready to be seized by the gripper. The weft thread is supplied by the bobbin 45. In the embodiment selected for illustration, the thread is threaded through a hole 46 in the abutment, the free end portion of the thread protruding a short distance beyond the abutment, as can clearly be seen in Fig. 5. With the gripper moving into the position of the abutment, it is the edge 4l of the abutment which enters between, and starts separating, the arms 3| and gripping jaws 33. In accordance with the shape of the abutment, the gripping jaws are iirst gradually separated, and then allowed to gradually close again. At the moment the stationary abutment leaves the space between the gripping jaws of the traveling gripper, the jaws seize the free end portion of the weft thread. It will be obvious that the free end portion of the weft thread may be held in readiness for the seizure by the gripper in many other ways.

The gripper moves on, thereby pulling the thread along and carrying it through the shed, until it meets the receiving clamp 4l. This clamp comprises two resiliently and ordinarily closed clamping jaws 48 which are forcibly separated when the gripper enters between them, the edge 36 being foremost, and held separated as long as the gripper bodily moves therethrough (see Figs. 7 and 8). The degree of separation corresponds to the formation of the sliding surfaces 34 of the gripper. Figs. 5 and 9 show that the thread-gripping jaws 33 of the gripper are on a higher level than that portion of the gripper which is dened by the wall 34. Accordingly, the portion of the receiving clamp that is to receive the thread is on the same level as the gripping jaws 33. When the gripper leaves the space between the clamping jaws 48, the latter will slide off the rear portions of the sliding surfaces 34, and will close to clamp the weft thread, the clamping jaws proper thereby clamping the weft thread pulled by the gripper through the shed.

As soon as the full length of the tape 22, after a weft thread has been carried through the shed, emerges from the shed, the slay 42 will settle the weft thread in place, and a knife 49 (Fig. 2) will cut the thread near the abutment 40. The receiving clamp will release the other end of the thread. The thread release may be actuated by any suitable means, such as a cam, and is initiated by the movement of the slay and associated elements.

It is believed that our invention, as well as the construction and operation of the form of apparatus thatvhas been shown to practice the invention, will be fully understood fromthe foregoing detailed description thereof. It is apparent that our weaving mechanism includes a weft thread gripper, which acts as a threadseizing element and also performs a wedging action, is double wedge-shaped to ensure smooth opening and not too an abrupt closing of the receiving clamp. The wedging parts, on the one hand, and the thread-seizing parts, on the other hand, are arranged in different elevations. According to our present invention, the resilient arms 3l which cause the gripping action of the gripping jaws 33 are parts of the double wedge gripper.

VIt will be apparent that while we have shown specific embodiments of our invention, the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments. Many changes and modications, which are obvious to one skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. Device for shuttleless weaving looms, comprising a exible tape arranged to be continuously driven through the shed in one direction, a weft thread gripper supported by said tape to travel therewith, the said gripper including a main body having a front and a rear wedge, and two gripping jaws normally resiliently held in closed condition and forming, when closed, a wedge, the latter wedge being rearwardly directed and being located over the rear wedge of the main body, the gripping jaws being thus vdisposed on a higher level than the main body, a stationary abutment in the path of, and substantially on the same level as, said gripping jaws at the entry side of the shed for holding a weft to be seized by the gripping jaws, and a stationary weft thread-receiving clamp in the path of the weft thread gripper at the exit side or the shed for receiving the weft carried through the shed.

2. In the device according to claim l, the weft thread gripper having two rearwardly extending resilient arms, said arms forming the rear wedge, each of the gripping jaws constituting an upwardly directed projection extending from the free end of an arm.

3. In the device according to claim 1, said main body being defined by double tapered side walls to cooperate with said thread-receiving clamp.

4. In the device according to claim 3, the weft thread-receiving clamp being provided with clamping jaws substantially on the level of the gripping jaws, the said main body causing the clamping jaws to open and to close.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,731,369 Baldwin Oct. 15, 1929 2,355,741 Moessinger Aug. 15, 1944 2,493,515 Werner Jan. 3, 1950 2,548,663 Fletcher'` Apr. 10, 1951 

